Love Affair

Love Affair, a British musical group from London, was formed in 1966. The original lineup included Steve Ellis on vocals, Rex Brayley on guitar, Maurice Bacon on drums, Mick Jackson on bass, and Lynton Guest on keyboards. Their first single, "She Smiled Sweetly", written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, was released on Decca Records but did not achieve significant success. However, their breakthrough came in January 1968 with the release of "Everlasting Love" on CBS Records, which reached Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. The song, originally recorded by Robert Knight, featured a cover version with heavy orchestral and brass arrangements behind Ellis's vocals. Despite controversy over the use of session musicians, Love Affair followed up with several top 20 hits including "Rainbow Valley", "A Day Without Love" (1968), "One Road", and "Bringing on Back the Good Times" (1969). Their debut album, The Everlasting Love Affair, was released at the end of 1968. Ellis left the group in December 1969 to pursue a solo career, marking the beginning of the end for Love Affair. The group continued briefly with new vocalist August Eadon but disbanded by the end of 1974. "Everlasting Love" has since been featured in notable films such as Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) and Belfast (2021).